The Center for Literary and Comparative Studies of the Department of English, in conjunction with the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, and the Department of Classics, has organized this two-day symposium. A broad aim of "Reading Comparatively: Theories, Practices, Communities" is to enable a critical rethinking of the act of reading, which is what we in departments throughout the College of Arts and Humanities undertake on a daily basis, in our scholarly work as well as in the classroom. To that end the conference brings together scholars working across the College on the topic of comparative reading writ large. Conference participants will address the ways in which their work is comparative beyond the common interpretation of reading in different languages. The conference will explore such large questions as: What does it mean to read comparatively? Why read comparatively? Is it possible not to read comparatively? Bags Studded Faux Bag Dancing Pink Style Crossbod Shoulder Lady Party Women LeatherKeynote speakers include Louis Menand, Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of English at Harvard University; Zita Nunes, Associate Professor of English at the University of Maryland; and Eric Zakim, Associate Professor of Hebrew at the University of Maryland.